10 injured after van rolls down embankment near Patterson, CA

California Highway Patrol alerts- A rollover on Interstate 5 was reported after a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan tumbled down a embankment.

Modesto, CA—A rollover accident on Sunday, January 3, 2010 sent 10 people, including eight children, to the hospital. The crash occurred around 2:00 p.m., on Interstate 5 near Patterson after a tire on the van blew out, as reported by The Modesto Bee.

According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan was traveling southbound on I-5, when the van suddenly lost control after one of its tires blew out. The van then tumbled down an embankment alongside of the highway, throwing seven children from the vehicle. The driver, Nathaniel Atkins, 46, and front seat passenger Felice Atkins, 36, were reportedly the only ones wearing their seatbelts’ at the time. The motor vehicle collision injured both adults and all eight children, whose ages ranged from 4 to 15-years-old. All ten victims were rushed to hospitals in Modesto and Turlock for treatment of their injuries. The victims reportedly sustained injuries that ranged from minor to critical. Nathaniel is reportedly still listed in serious condition at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto on. The relationship among the victims is currently unknown, but they all do share the same Maricopa, Arizona address. Police officials are conducting a full investigation into the rollover crash.